Bashar Assad opponents tortured, raped: Syrian man sentenced to 26 years in prison by Dutch court

A Dutch court has sentenced a Syrian national to 26 years in prison for crimes against humanity, including torture and rape of people held by forces loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad during the country’s civil war.The man, identified under Dutch privacy regulations as Rafiq al Q, was convicted by The Hague District Court for abuses committed between 2013 and 2014 while working as an interrogator for the pro-Assad Defense Forces (NDF) in the Syrian city of Salamiyeh.The court said evidence showed that the 58-year-old participated in the torture of prisoners held in the detention center, including beating, electric shock and hanging detainees upside down. The judge also found him guilty of sexual violence against multiple victims.In delivering its verdict, the court said the defendants caused the detainees to suffer severe physical and mental suffering.“The defendant is also guilty of sexually abusing multiple victims. He raped one of the victims,” ​​the court said in a summary of the ruling, Reuters reported. “The defendant repeatedly placed the victims in situations of extreme fear, threat, pain, despair and powerlessness. During court hearings, the victims provided compelling testimony about the impact this incident had on them and the consequences they are still suffering today,” the statement added.Presiding judge Wim van Hattum said the court had established that Rafik Al Q. either committed the crimes himself or ordered others to commit them.“In this case, the suspects tortured, raped or otherwise sexually abused eight victims, either personally or by ordering others to commit the acts,” Van Hattum said, reading a summary of the ruling.Rafik Al Q denied all the charges during the trial, insisting he had not participated in the abuse and accusing witnesses of lying and conspiring against him. He appeared in court wearing a striped shirt and sat next to his attorney, but did not make any visible reaction as the sentence was handed down. The court acquitted him of multiple charges due to insufficient evidence.Netherlands gets first conviction for Assad-era atrocitiesThe verdict marks the first Dutch conviction for atrocities committed in Syria by forces aligned with Assad’s government. This is also the first time that a Dutch court has classified sexual violence as a crime against humanity.The case was brought under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows national courts to prosecute suspects of serious international crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity, even if the crimes were committed abroad.Rafiq al Q arrived in the Netherlands as an asylum seeker in 2021 and lived in the town of Druten until his arrest in 2023.Both prosecutors and the defense have 14 days to appeal the verdict.The ruling is part of a wider international effort to hold individuals accountable for crimes committed during Syria’s civil war and under Assad’s rule.Since Assad was ousted from power in December 2024 and fled to Russia, courts across Europe have been pursuing cases involving former Syrian officials and government supporters accused of torture, killings and other abuses.Last year, a German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life in prison for torture and war crimes committed in Syria, while a Paris court sentenced three senior Syrian officials to life in prison in absentia in 2024 for complicity in war crimes.Syria itself has also begun prosecuting former regime officials. In April, the first public trial of a former Assad-era official began in Damascus, with former Brigadier General Atef Najib facing charges of alleged crimes against the Syrian people.Rights groups and former detainees have long documented widespread torture, sexual violence, brutality and mass executions in detention centers run by Assad’s government during the civil war.